Stephen is a committed criminal defence and public law practitioner. He has been described by his clients as “warm and friendly, but formidable”, “razor-sharp”, and “a relentless advocate”, and by his instructing solicitors as having a “breath-taking ability to condense facts and legal arguments in a terse yet persuasive style” and a “huge heart and ability to empathise with the wrongfully convicted and their families”.
Criminal law
He practises in all areas of criminal law, specialising in protest law and appellate work. Stephen’s crime practice has seen him defending in a wide range of criminal cases including:
Stephen is currently briefed in a number of long-running cases with the CCRC. He has been instructed in cases in the Crown Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal which have received significant media attention.
Immigration and public law
Stephen is also a member of the Immigration Team. He regularly appears in the Upper Tribunal, High Court, and Court of Appeal on human rights and asylum matters. He was instructed for Claimants in the majority of “EEA rough sleeper” cases.
Working at the intersection of criminal law and public law, he is well-versed in the law relating to terrorism proscription, modern slavery and trafficking, and criminal deportations.
For his immigration and public law work he has previously been named The Times’ Lawyer of the Week.
Other matters
Stephen is qualified to conduct litigation work and is able to take instructions directly from clients without a solicitor.
In 2020 Stephen was appointed as a Judge of the First-tier Tribunal and as an Employment Judge. In 2023 Stephen was appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s A Panel.
He is listed as a leading junior tier 4 in the Legal 500 and band 6 in Chambers & Partners.
Stephen is currently undertaking doctoral research on the application of International Humanitarian Law in North and East Syria. This has provided him with a detailed understanding of the current situation on the ground in Syria and Kurdistan. He has presented his research to academic conferences, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the United Nations. His research has been peer reviewed and published. As a result, Stephen is well-placed to undertake immigration cases for Syrian and Kurdish clients.
Publications
Books
Journal articles
Chapters
Reports
Harmsworth Scholarship, Middle Temple, 2010.
John Grosse Prize in the Common Law of England, University of Sheffield, 2010.
English (native)
French (working knowledge)
Kurmancî Kurdish (working knowledge)
University College London, Jurisprudence and Legal Theory LLM (Distinction), 2012
City Law School, Bar Professional Training Course, 2011
University of Sheffield (including a year at the Université Robert Schuman / Université de Strasbourg), Law with French LLB, First Class with distinction in spoken French, 2010
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